Today, 22nd April 2015, marks the day that Samsung launched the world’s first SUHD TV in South Africa. At an event held at Scuderia South Africa, Ferrari Building, in Bryanston, Johannesburg, Samsung, along with its partners, and a number of sports personalities and celebs, unveiled its new range of UHD TVs to the media. Contrary to the naming suggestions, the S in SUHD isn’t a new standard that perhaps exceeds that of UHD, but rather a mark of premium status for Samsung’s range of UHDs. A “Super”, or “Smart” version of UHD, if you like.

For starters, although you won’t get a higher resolution over conventional 4K, users will notice the much better colour accuracy and brightness, as well as a sharper image quality. Then there’s the new design, and Samsung’s new Tizen-based TV operating system to put the “smart” into SmartTV. And if you inclined to think it’s all just gimmicks, stand in front of one of these without noticing its superiority in image quality, and you may need to visit your local optometrist for a quick check-up.

See below in the official press release for the model and pricing options. All models are immediately available for pre-order.

Press Release:

Innovative New SUHD TV Revolutionises Entertainment

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., has announced its extensive line-up of SUHD TVs to the South African market, setting a new standard and elevating the viewing experience to new levels.

Samsung reserves the “S” identification for its most premium flagship products that signify a true leap forward in technology. As the leader in the industry, Samsung is excited to extend the prestigious “S” identification to its latest premium TV line, the SUHD TV. It is developed to excite all of the senses, with Sensational Picture, Seamless Interaction and a Stylish Curved design.

The development celebrates a major milestone in the UHD era, delivering on stunning contrast, striking brightness and spectacular colour. Its exciting features and various Smart functions, are powered by Tizen, giving viewers easy access to their favourite content.

“Our innovative heritage and spirit continue to push the boundaries of the home entertainment experience to new possibilities,” said Matthew Thackrah, Deputy Managing Director and Head of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Electronics SA. “Regardless of the content source, Samsung provides leading picture quality in the industry and will continue to do so with this latest innovation.

Introducing Unmatched Quality Viewing

The product utilises Samsung’s proprietary, eco-friendly nano-crystal technology, which provides viewers with 64 times more colour expression than conventional TVs. This is supported by the intelligent SUHD re-mastering engine, which automatically analyses the brightness of images to minimise additional power consumption while expressing ultimate contrast levels, producing images with much darker blacks and an elevated brightness 2.5 times brighter than usually.

Sophisticated and Improved Curved Designs

When Samsung introduced the curved form-factor in 2013, it dramatically improved the consumers’ engagement with the device. Taking cues from contemporary art and architecture, it was designed and enhanced with many modern and minimalist highlights.

Samsung SUHD TV (JS9500) features Samsung’s Chamfer bezel framework, adding more depth to the screen, with the elegant frame making the TV look like a piece of art when mounted on the wall. The soft, textured shirring pattern on the back ensures that the TV maintains its stylish edge from any angle, making it appear to display a soft, undulating fabric.

Tizen Redefines the Future Entertainment Experience

As of this year, all of Samsung’s Smart TVs, including the new SUHD, will be powered by Tizen, an open-source platform that supports web standards for app development. This allows for a multitude of new features, including a more intuitive UI (User Interface), more truly integrated entertainment experience and more ways to access content than ever before.

The new user interface for Samsung’s Smart Hub is more responsive and playful. The hub displays the most recently viewed content, so you can pick up right where you left off and it also gives users tailored recommendations for even more entertainment options.

With Quick Connect, Samsung smartphones are automatically recognised once paired via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology. Consumers can share video content from their Samsung smartphone to their Smart TV with the press of a button. Users can also watch programmes from their mobile unit, without any apps or complicated pre-settings.

In order to address the needs of consumers in Africa, Samsung has partnered with eNCA to provide users with convenient access to local news and weather. To further showcase its commitment to diverse entertainment options, Samsung is working with SuperSport to give users access to sports highlights, live scores and player information across the continent. Samsung also offers ONTV, a premium lifestyle application for South Africa, which provides a variety of content, including magazines, vehicle and travel information as well as recipes in video format, sponsored by Raj and Robertson spices.

Samsung, in partnership with Times Media Group, will also launch VIDI, which gives users in South Africa access to blockbuster and catalogue movies as well as access to popular TV series. Movies are made available in line with DVD release.

Furthermore, Samsung has partnered with Vonetize to launch Aflix, offering access to top Hollywood movies, television series and other video entertainment to African consumers in 30 countries across the continent.
Consumers can now wake-up with Briefing on TV, which acts as an alarm by syncing with Samsung mobile products to turn on and display important items such as the time, weather and consumers’ schedules.

With all Samsung TVs poised to become part of the Internet of Things by 2017, Tizen’s compatibility with other devices establishes Samsung’s Smart TVs as the control centre of any Smart Home.